The Twelve Days of Cookies – Chocolate Shortbread Bites

Two years ago, or maybe it was three, I organized a cookie swap at the office. It turned out pretty well given that I originally started with five people and I think we ended up with about 10! Ten different cookie recipes and plenty to take home. It was a lot of fun….plus, it gave us all about an hour away from our cubicles. There were so many different cookies that I had never tried before. It really opened up my cookie world. 🙂

I hope to do that for all of you this year. Since I no longer work in an office environment I had to get a little creative and figure out a way to try a variety of cookies all by myself. That’s how “The Twelve Days of Cookies” was born.

For the first 12 days of December, stop by to enjoy a new cookie recipe each day. Some will be old favorites while others will be new to both me and you. Well, maybe just me but I hope to introduce some that are not too familiar but are sure to become favorites for years to come.

First up….the debut cookie, Chocolate Shortbread Bites. These are incredibly, tasty, little morsels of buttery perfection with just the right amount of chocolate. Make sure to dust them with cocoa powder before serving, don’t skip this step because it makes a huge difference. If giving as a gift, package them with a small amount of sifted cocoa powder.

Chocolate Shortbread Bites

Makes approximately 40 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat approximately 2 minutes or until light in color and fluffy being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture and continue to stir on low-speed until the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, no less than an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicon baking mat.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until firm. Cool on a wire rack and dust with cocoa powder before serving.

welcome to the suburban soapbox!

Hi! I'm Kellie and I LOVE food! Creating recipes and happy bellies is my favorite thing in the world. I believe a good life tastes great and my easy recipes help make that happen every day. Welcome to my little corner of the internet!